How does grapefruit juice help you lose weight?

19 June 2017

If you’re someone who battles with their weight, the likelihood is that you’ve probably heard of the grapefruit diet. This diet provides only 800 calories a day and involved eating ‘fat burning’ grapefruit to kick start your metabolism as well as copious amounts of black coffee, some daily protein and dry toast. However, it is advised that the daily calorie intake for a woman should be no less than 1,200 calories and for a man a slightly higher 1,800. The grapefruit diet, therefore, may need a little tweaking. Although it is not firmly based on science, grapefruit juice has been known to have some health benefits when you drink it in the right amount and at the right time. Here’s how….

Drinking grapefruit juice before meals

Grapefruit juice is considered a watery snack and therefore drinking it about 20 minutes before each of your main meals may give your diet more impact. This is because it effectively decreases your appetite; much like having a glass of water can do, causing you to eat less. If you are following a diet plan, you should remember that grapefruit juice averages roughly 100 calories per 8 ounce serving so this should be accounted for in your total daily calorie intake. Drinking too much could have the opposite effect – weight gain.

Helps to manage insulin levels

Insulin is a hormone that plays with your blood sugar levels and plays a huge role in the storage of fat. Researchers believe that grapefruit contains a certain set of unique plant compounds that can help to reduce insulin levels and this, in turn, promotes healthy weight loss. For example, a study including 91 people who drank 8 ounces of grapefruit juice before each of their three meals per day were shown to lose 3 ½ pounds over the course of 12 weeks without following a low-calorie diet plan. Results tended to be the same for those who ate half a grapefruit before every meal, too.

Following a low-calorie diet

Of course, there’s no better way to lose weight than no follow a low-calorie diet alongside the right amount of exercise. Use an online calculator to work out how many calories you need to aim for each day to lose weight healthily. Drinking grapefruit juice will also boost your intake of vitamin C, providing an important component of your high-quality diet.

Stick to the juice

In recent years, there has been a huge surge in popularity with juice detoxes because of the amazing health benefits that they have been shown to have. A juice cleanse typically lasts for a minimum of three days and gives your stomach a chance to have a rest from toxic foods that can impair the functioning of the intestine and the liver. Many choose a juicing holiday because they wish to lose weight in a short space of time but this type of detox can also help you to find mental clarity, mixing a diet camp with a meditative retreat.